Organization Visma | LaB is rock solid: ‘Symbolizes the step we want to take in the next 5 years’

At the men’s side, there are nine new names: Anton Schiffer, Bruno Armirail, Davide Piganzoli, Filippo Fiorelli, Owain Doull, Timo Kielich, Louis Barré, Tim Rex, and Pietro Mattio. All are good riders, but on paper not of the same calibre as Simon Yates, Olav Kooij, Dylan van Baarle and Tiesj Benoot — some of the riders who left the team.

The team had previously indicated that it could not always match the financial muscle of other teams. “At the men’s side we have consciously made a change in the selection with a significant number of new riders. All of this symbolises the next step we want to take as a team over the next five years,” Plugge explains.

“The sport of cycling is constantly in motion and developing. This winter we have again set a number of innovations in motion so that in all domains of our organisation we get the maximum out of it,” the CEO of Visma | Lease a Bike explains.

“Our sporting management team with Jacco Verhaeren, Grischa Niermann, Mathieu Heijboer, Robbert de Groot, Patrick Broe and myself now stands like a house and is ready for the next challenges that we as an organisation face,” says Plugge. “It makes me proud that we can again express ambitions like this on the eve of a new season: winning Grand Tours and Monuments with both the men’s and the women’s teams.”

Niermann, as Head of Racing, is responsible for the plans of the new riders. For the young riders, it is important that they receive a race calendar that suits them. They get the chance to develop their skills and insights at the highest level, alongside experienced leaders such as Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.

“When is 2026 successful for us? When we have done everything we can to go for victory in the biggest races. Besides that, I hope that we will win more than in 2025,” says the German, who has set the team the goal of winning the Tour, the Giro and a Monument and going for the highest possible result in the Vuelta.”

For the first two ambitions, the team is counting on Vingegaard, while Van Aert and Matthew Brennan will together do the classics and the Vuelta a España.